The Value of Cash: Poverty and exclusion in Sweden's digital economy
Authors
Lena Halldenius, Lena Halldenius ()Files
Abstract
The use of cash is declining, and payments are to an increasing degree made digitally. While this is a global trend, it is particularly pronounced in Sweden, where it is now the norm for public transport, shops, and other service providers to refuse cash payments. The option to pay bills with cash over the counter is severely limited; in large parts of Sweden, it does not exist at all.
This report examines how Sweden’s digitized economy affects individuals who, for various reasons and to varying degrees, rely on cash to manage their payments. The study aimed to explore and learn from the experiences of people who depend on cash. We focused on individuals facing economic and social vulnerability, as international research has identified poverty as the primary reason why people in developed nations like Sweden remain excluded from the digital economy. Factors such as age, disability, and precarious migration status also increase the likelihood of relying on cash payments.
In 2022 and 2023, we conducted qualitative interviews in Malmö, involving individuals who, for socioeconomic reasons, need to pay with cash, as well as volunteers and staff from organizations that interact with cash-dependent individuals. Study participants shared their experiences regarding how the digitization of the payment market affects their daily lives and their perception of society. The study views involuntary cash dependency as an aspect of digital exclusion and as a matter of rights. The fact that fundamental societal functions—such as the payment market—are being digitized in a way that leaves already vulnerable groups on the outside creates a new form of economic injustice.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Lena Halldenius, Moa Petersén (Authors)
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